Virginia bills · 2026 Regular Session
Virginia HB 591
Data centers; policy of the Commonwealth.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became law
Sponsors
- Shelly A. Simonds (Democratic)
Cosponsors (8)
- Kathy K.L. Tran (Democratic)
- JJ Singh (Democratic)
- David A. Reid (Democratic)
- Elizabeth R. Guzman (Democratic)
- Rae Cousins (Democratic)
- Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. (Democratic)
- Irene Shin (Democratic)
- Gretchen M. Bulova
Summary
Official abstract published by the Virginia legislature· SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE
Policy of the Commonwealth; data centers. Provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage the responsible operation of data centers in the Commonwealth while supporting grid reliability, affordability, and the deployment of renewable resources. The bill provides that in furtherance of this policy, the Commonwealth shall (i) promote coordination between data centers, state agencies, and regional grid operators to share information on energy usage, interconnection timelines, and barriers to rapid deployment of renewable and flexible energy resources; (ii) incentivize data centers to participate in demand response programs, implement energy storage and management systems, and leverage automated technologies to reduce peak demand and support grid stability; (iii) encourage flexible energy practices that allow data centers to adjust energy consumption in real time in alignment with available renewable generation; (iv) ensure large-scale data centers pay their fair share of infrastructure investments, mitigating impacts on residential and small business ratepayers; (v) require data centers to report water and aggregated energy usage, sustainability measures, and participation in grid support programs to appropriate state and federal agencies; and (vi) promote cybersecurity, physical security, and supply chain security measures to protect Virginia data center operations from foreign adversary access or compromise.
Text versions
Roll-call votes
State vote data last updated Oct 15, 2026, 8:04 PM.
| Date | Vote | Result | Your legislators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9, 2026 Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 9, 2026 Senate | Continued to next session in Finance and Appropriations | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 17, 2026 House | H VOTE: | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 12, 2026 House | Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 10, 2026 House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
Actions
- Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Continued to next session in Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) - Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Reported from Commerce and Labor and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 4-N) - Feb 18, 2026 · Senate
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor - Feb 18, 2026 · Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) - Feb 17, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB591) - Feb 17, 2026 · House
Read third time and passed House (62-Y 34-N 0-A) - Feb 16, 2026 · House
Engrossed by House as amended - Feb 16, 2026 · House
committee amendments agreed to - Feb 16, 2026 · House
Read second time - Feb 15, 2026 · House
Read first time - Feb 12, 2026 · House
Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) (13-Y 7-N) - Feb 10, 2026 · House
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 3-N) - Feb 10, 2026 · House
House subcommittee offered - Feb 3, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB591) - Jan 20, 2026 · House
Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3 - Jan 13, 2026 · House
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce - Jan 13, 2026 · House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103960D